Second MGS4 review in -score 92 "story too complex"

[NJ5]

omoneru said:
I'd welcome complex storyline. But I hope it won't be unnecessarily convoluted. It happens often in Japanese cinema or literature---making story overly-cryptic and quasi-philosophical so that it sounds like interesting when in fact it's not. It's an old trick exploited by many no-talent ass writers (not saying Kojima is).

The only thing I know about MGS4's story is from its trailer. But I wasn't too impressed with the monologue:

>> War has changed.
>> It's not about nations, or ideologies.
>> It's not even about profit, resources, or ethnicity.
>> It's an endless series of proxy battles,
>> fought by mercenaries and machines.
>> War, and its vast consumption of human life,
>> has become a rational, well-oiled business transaction.
>> War has changed.
......
>> And he who controls the battlefield, controls history.
>> War has changed.

This script alone is weird. It says war is not about profit then later says war has become a business transaction, which is supposedly about making .... profit (if not what else business is for). Many proxy wars have been fought in the 20th century (maybe not in the in-game world but how do I know), and throughout the human history war always has been about "control" and in this sense technology hasn't changed anything fundamentally.

I don't know, but this kind of seemingly-incoherent narrative just bothers me and because of this I usually can't immerse myself into in-game stories.

Maybe it's the same kind of business of the platform this game is made for.

/ ducks